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PrintVideo TranscriptJoe Truini: I’m caulking this tub with 100% silicone caulk. And I like using 100% silicone for two reasons. One, it’s got great adhesion—it sticks to almost anything. And it’s really flexible, so over time it won’t break free.

Now, the downside of 100% silicone is it is not water soluble, so you’ll have to clean up with a solvent. And also, it’s so sticky that when you try to smooth it out with your finger, sometimes you can either pull it out of the joint or leave a really rough surface.

So, here is the trick, and this works great. I learned this trick from a reader, Herman. And what he suggested is using denatured alcohol. You put it in a little pump sprayer like this, a little plant mister, and just very lightly mist the surface.

That’s all you need, just a little light coating. And that allows your finger to just glide right along. Look at that. How perfect is that? What you end up with is a perfectly smooth bead, each and every time.

Learn from my very recent mistake: This does NOT work with isopropyl alcohol, which prevents the silicone from curing. 5 days later and all the silicone caulking I put around the tub is still soft and sticky like plasticine so I’ll have to do it all over again.

This was one of best how-to tips I’ve come across. I wish I had known about this when I recaulked some seams on my RV; what a mess that was (and still is). My shower stall came out perfect thanks to your tip. I found out that starting with a uniform bead is important for a good result.

Thanks for the great tip!

Wally

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Tip for Smoothing Silicone Caulk

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